


I Heard A Rumor You're In Love With Me

by blue_jacket



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe - College/University, Dark!Ben, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, M/M, Mind Control, Mind Manipulation, Nerd!Klaus, Rape/Non-con Elements, ben and klaus were not raised together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:08:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25831090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blue_jacket/pseuds/blue_jacket
Summary: College!AU: Ben has Allison’s power, Klaus is a power-free, non-Umbrella kid, and they meet as college freshmen and start dating. When Klaus decides to end their fling, Ben uses his power to persuade him otherwise.
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves/Klaus Hargreeves
Comments: 36
Kudos: 195





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: not sure where I'm gonna go with this but stay tuned for Chapter Two pretty soon! Also, Klaus would have grown up into Nerd!Klaus if he’d never been subjected to The Reginald Trauma this is a fact okay do NOT @ me.

‘I heard a rumor I’m getting straight A’s in this class.’

Ben Hargreeves smiled as he watched his Philosophy professor’s eyes turn misty white. That sight never failed to give him a rush, no matter how many times he saw it.

After a moment Professor Smythe’s eyes cleared. He smiled up at Ben amicably.

‘Keep up the good work Mr Hargreeves!’ he said. As he spoke he crossed out the C- on the top of Ben’s paper and changed it to a big, bold A.

‘Will do, Professor!’ Ben beamed. He scooped up his paper and tucked it into his bag, then swept out of the lecture hall into the May sunshine, whistling to himself.

He was running late for lunch with the love of his life.

When he got to Griddy’s, it was crowded. Ben scanned the place quickly, ducking past a queue of customers until he finally spotted his boyfriend sitting alone at a small booth near the kitchen. Today was one of Klaus’ rare days off, Ben knew, so he was wearing his glasses and his hair was a curly, unstyled, and very endearing mess on top of his head. Ben smiled and slid into the seat beside him.

‘Hi babe,’ Ben said.

‘Hey,’ said Klaus. He reached up restlessly, pushing his curls back off his forehead. And just like that, Ben realised something was wrong.

They’d been dating three months. Most people would say that wasn’t long enough for two people to really get to know each other, especially two college kids. But Ben knew Klaus, and he could tell something was wrong.

He reached out and took Klaus’ hand. The watch Ben had bought him a week ago for his nineteenth birthday glinted in the fluorescent lighting.

‘Is everything okay?’ he asked Klaus carefully.

Klaus met his eyes for the first time.

‘Ben, I want to break up.’

For a couple of heartbeats, Ben let the words sit between them. Because he hadn’t been prepared for this. He hadn’t had time. He felt blindsided.

Klaus looked away and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He looked guilty and drained. How had this happened? How could Ben have failed to see this coming?

‘It’s for the best, Ben,’ Klaus said gently. ‘It seems like...like we’re just two very different people, you know? And I don’t want to lead you on or waste your time.’

Different people? What could he possibly mean by that? How could Klaus feel that Ben didn’t understand him?

Of course I know you, Ben thought. I’ve been inside you, of course I know you.

He could not allow this to happen.

‘Look, Ben,’ Klaus said. His voice was tight and strained. ‘We had a good time, but we should end things now.’

Ben closed his eyes briefly. Never in his life had he Rumored a boyfriend. Not even for something small and unimportant. He’d cheated people out of money and done all kinds of things he should be ashamed of, but he’d never crossed this one line. He’d never even really been tempted until now.

But he could not lose Klaus.

‘Really, Klaus?’ he said hoarsely. ‘Because I…’

He steeled himself. Opening his eyes, he leaned in close.

‘I heard a rumor you’re in love with me.’

Confusion flitted across Klaus’ face, but it was too late. As Ben watched, the boy’s beautiful green eyes soaked through with milky-white fog. Within two seconds the fog had faded, but when Klaus’ gaze refocused on Ben, something changed. All the tension and strength that had been in his posture, in his gaze, seemed to just seep out of him. He leaned in closer, without seeming to realise what he was doing. His shoulders drooped. His mouth fell open a little, soft and slack like he’d just been kissed. His wide eyes dropped down to fixate on Ben’s mouth.

‘Ben,’ he murmured, low in his throat. Impulsively, Ben reached out and gripped the back of Klaus’ neck, pulling him in for a deep kiss. Klaus melted into it, and Ben felt him moan shamelessly against his mouth. Taking that as an invitation, Ben tilted his head and deepened the kiss until he was stroking Klaus’ tongue with his own. Then he felt Klaus’ hand reach up, fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck as he responded hungrily.

And the longer the kiss went on, the more anger welled up inside Ben. Because it was nothing like how it had been before. Klaus was giving himself over fully, eagerly, holding nothing back. Before, everything had been lukewarm and hesitant, and Ben had been too in love to know it. Now, Klaus was open and passionate and alive in his arms.

'Why did you make it so difficult?' Ben thought. 'Why did you make me force you to feel this?'

Ben broke away far too soon and glanced around the diner, checking for unwanted attention. Luckily, nobody was watching them at all.

When he turned back, Klaus was gazing at him, one hand still tangled in his hair.

‘Let’s get out of here,’ Ben said in a low voice.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for all the lovely comments on the last chapter guys!

‘I heard a rumor this was a free ride buddy.’ Ben said to the taxi driver. Then he slammed the car door shut and took Klaus’ hand.

‘Have a nice day guys!’ the taxi driver called cheerfully as they stepped back onto the empty sidewalk outside their dorm building. Then he was gone with a screech of rubber wheels. When Ben turned to face Klaus he stopped short. His boyfriend was staring at him, eyebrows pulled together in a frown.

‘What...what was that, Ben?’ he said, confusion stilting his speech. ‘You just told him not to charge us and he…’

‘It’s okay babe. I heard a rumor you forgot all about it.’

For the second time that day - for the second time ever - Klaus’ eyes filled up with whiteness. When his vision cleared, his face had gone relaxed, blank, and a little dreamy. He blinked slowly a couple times and smiled at Ben. Then he tipped his head down to kiss him.

‘I love you,’ Klaus breathed against Ben’s mouth.

Ben reached up to cup his boyfriend’s jaw with both hands. Klaus’ glasses were digging into his skin a little as they kissed but he didn’t care. He could have stood there in the street with him all day and all night.

But he had a few important plans to put into effect.

‘I heard a rumor,’ Ben panted against Klaus’ mouth. ‘That you can’t lie to me Klaus.’

He kissed him again, hard and fast, then broke away and took a step back before speaking in a low voice.

‘Did you tell anybody you were planning to break up with me? Anybody at all?’

Klaus stood there looking dazed for a long moment. Then he shook his head back and forth a couple times.

‘No. I didn’t tell anybody that.’

Ben let out a sigh of relief.

‘Good.’

‘I’m not going to break up with you, Ben,’ Klaus said earnestly. ‘I’m in love with you.’

Ben smiled and kissed his boyfriend softly.

‘I’m in love with you too Klaus.’

Ten minutes later they were entwined on Ben’s bed, making out. Klaus’ body was warm and writhing beneath him. He was so eager, so willing, that Ben could hardly believe it.

‘I don’t have to Rumor him right now,’ Ben thought, giddy and breathless with excitement. ‘He’ll do anything I want. And he’ll want it too.’

The thought was intoxicating.

Ben ground his hips down against Klaus’, making him moan.

‘You’ve been waiting for this, haven’t you baby?’

‘Yeah,’ Klaus breathed - then he surged up to kiss Ben, dirty and desperate.

‘You want me to fuck you?’

‘Yes,’ Klaus moaned.

‘Am I the best sex you’ve ever had?’

‘No.’

As soon as he said it, they both went very, very still. Then all at once, Ben pulled himself up and off Klaus until their bodies were no longer touching.

‘What?’

Klaus’ eyes were wide and apologetic.

‘I...Ben, I…’ he stammered.

It was true. It had to be true. Ben had just Rumored him so he couldn’t tell a lie.

‘Who was better?’ he asked.

‘No, Ben, I-’

‘Who?’ Ben said, biting out the word. Klaus crumpled forward and sank his face into his hands.

‘Aaron,’ he mumbled at last.

Aaron.

Ben knew Aaron.

Aaron Buckley was Klaus’ ex from high-school. They’d enrolled at NYU together, but back in October Klaus had burst into their dorm to find him getting real friendly with some hipster twink. That had ended their epic romance pretty conclusively. Or so Ben had been told.

And Ben had spent the past three months tossing smug grins over his shoulder at Aaron Buckley as they sat in their weekly World History lecture.

‘Don’t be mad at me Ben,’ Klaus pleaded. ‘Please don’t be mad-’

Just like that, Ben went calm. He met Klaus’ gaze and reached out to grip his hand.

‘I’m not mad at you.’

And he meant it.

He leaned forward and kissed Klaus again, slowly soothing the tension out of him.

‘It’s okay baby,’ he whispered against Klaus’ mouth. ‘I love you.’

Everything would be okay again.

After he dealt with the problem of Aaron Buckley.


End file.
